


Mischief Unmanaged

by amidtheflowers



Category: Thor (2011)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-28
Updated: 2012-09-02
Packaged: 2017-11-13 02:18:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/498365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amidtheflowers/pseuds/amidtheflowers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Have you ever been kissed by a god, Miss Lewis?" Loki asked quietly in her ear. Darcy swallowed hard, shaking her head quickly as she fought to keep eye contact. Devious laughter filled the air, and she felt a cool finger graze her cheek softly. "I shall remedy that." Post-Thor. Crazy/confused/sweet Loki.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The silent mind wandered cryptically, leaving no trace of its presence. The air remained undisturbed with the swift steps, a calamity of thoughts rampaging through neurons that fired with trepidation. Stealth was second nature; subtlety a craft that he perfected through the dry and odious years on Asgard. He mastered the façade of monotony, deceiving any passersby foolish enough to glance his way.

He was aware of it all—the stares, the laughter, the sorrow, the unhealed melancholy that so mirrored his own. Midgardian or Asgardian—the emotions remained the same. And he watched them. Ever so silently.

A gleaming smile shot in his direction almost prompted his own to stretch up in return, a force of habit that he must put an end to. There was no need for it anymore. The pretending. There was no one here to fool, and he rather liked that.

The woman who smiled at him began to grin as a male approached her, and she slung her arm familiarly through his. He watched passively as they conversed, and felt grateful that his fall through the wormhole did not rip him of his abilities. He was thankfully invisible to the mortal eye, his veins still coursing with magic. She had not smiled at him, really.

He passed by a clothing shop and paused in front of the glass. Allowing his form to waver slightly, he stared back at his reflection. Blood was stained on the side of his face from the impact of his fall to this realm, his armor slightly skewed and hair no long slicked back in place and coming in to his eyes.

A flash of anger coursed through him, tearing at his mind viciously until his eyes narrowed and he wrapped himself in his magic again, his reflection disappearing. His strides grew faster, purpose in his step. He was lost no longer—he was not struggling for acceptance. He knew who he was.

The man and woman were still ahead of him, and his eyes latched onto the woman. She smiled up at the man with an emotion akin to drunken stupor. Was this what his foolish older brother had adhered to with that brown-haired scientist? Was this the reason he had changed his ways, making him the ever shining and perfect son to Odin?

He watched them disgust, but slowly a smile began curling his lips.

Oh, yes. Loki Odinson had a plan.

xx

"Would you like some more wine? You seem a little thirsty," the man across from her smiled dazzlingly. She could almost see the imaginary sparkle spin on a tooth.

Darcy shifted slightly in her seat, glancing about the restaurant and shooting an almost wistful look at the exit.

Bad, Darcy! Look at your date!

Her eyes unwillingly traveled back to the man sitting in front of her in the booth, a ridiculous smile still on his face. Darcy mirrored it halfheartedly, running a hand through her hair. "I'm good, Dale."

He leaned in closer, his eyes dancing, and Darcy tried very hard not to roll her eyes as he said in a deep voice, "In that case…are you ready to head out? I could show you my neutrino data archive. Jane's been on me for weeks about it, but I thought I'd give you the first look."

Oh, Jane. Bless her heart. She had good intentions, but Dale was definitely the worst of them, and Darcy was yet again feeling silly for taking up her suggestion of going to dinner with him.

Darcy looked at Dale with a slight smile and a shrug. "Sorry, dude. I have class in the morning. You know, still in college and everything. But thanks. Really, maybe some other time." Muttering under her breath, she added, "A very, very long time."

The smile did not shrink on his face, and he nodded in acquiescence as his eyes flickered for the hundredth time below her neck. A spark of annoyance flared inside her. Seriously? This was getting a bit old now.

Wordlessly Darcy slid out of the booth and Dale followed suit. He began put on his jacket, and reached through his pockets. "Oh, damn," he groaned, frantically patting down his coat.

"What's up?"

"My wallet," he muttered, glancing up helplessly. "I think I might've forgotten it."

He had to be joking. Darcy blinked and glanced at the bill before cringing. Eighty effing big ones. Fifteen of those belonged to her, courtesy of the very delicious but generously inexpensive fish fillet she had ordered.

"I'm sorry," he apologized in what she supposed was a sincere tone. Darcy gave a small smile before shrugging. "Whatever. No biggie. I'll just have to skip lunch and dinner for the next three weeks," she attempted a joke, but inside knew there was some truth in it.

"Does Jane not pay you enough?" asked Dale with a frown.

"Uhhh I don't get paid at all. Research program, remember? I was the only applicant. And, you know, college has me piss poor. Sorry, bad language, I know. Just get the car in the front, will you? I'll pay this."

He nodded gratefully and disappeared, leaving Darcy staring at the bill with a heavy heart. Sighing, she grabbed her purse off the table and sifted through it, praying she brought a little extra cash with her. She sifted through the dollar bills, counting under her breath. She froze, squeezing her eyes shut.

Seventy-five dollars. Damn.

Fishing them out, she placed the money onto the table and then dug inside her purse, hand groping around until she felt a cylindrical paper roll. "Sorry mister quarters," she said wistfully to the half-used roll of quarters. "Looks like bus fare is out of the question for a while."

The roll was left with three quarters by the time she was done counting, and she placed the change as quietly and neatly on the table as possible. God, this was sad. Darcy glanced around, taking some relief in the fact that everyone else was too preoccupied with their own meals to take note of the girl paying with change.

She shifted on her feet, wondering why she even bothered wearing heels for this guy, and adjusted her skirt before grabbing her own jacket and heading out the restaurant with her head held high. She heard a waiter gasp as a loud series of metallic clangs landed on the floor, causing Darcy to wince and walk a little faster.

Dale's car was parked near the entrance, and she walked briskly towards him. It was dark, and she nearly tripped on a twig in the goddamn red pumps she was wearing, and she could feel that familiar tension building in her shoulders that she knew would burst if this night got any worse.

Breathe, Darcy. It's alright, just a few more minutes…

She reached for the handle and tugged, frowning when it refused to open. She shot Dale a look, and he tilted his head in confusion. She tugged insistently on the handle and finally the data analyst understood and unlocked the door.

Just a simple locking mistake. Happens all the time on newer cars. Automatic locks and whatnot. Darcy breathed in deeply and glanced at Dale.

"Let's go."

"To your place?" he asked. She smiled and nodded.

"Yep. I—" Her words stopped in her throat. Her eyes lingered at the cup holders between them behind the gear shift.

"Is that your wallet?"

He glanced down and let out a short laugh. "Oh, right! I found it sitting here when I got in the car. Weird, huh?"

Darcy glanced up at him slowly, taking in the wide smile. His eyes moved a fraction down from her face, and instantly Darcy's face heated with anger.

"Change of plans. Take me to Jane's."

The drive down was not silent, thanks to her failed attempt of a date partner. He chattered as he had done all night, twittering about his findings and mockery of society and his impeccable taste of cinema, and Darcy spared him a few thin-lipped smiles, though her eyes remained resolutely on the road, waiting for the turn into Jane's place.

The car slowed and Dale turned off the ignition and turned to her, giving another of those toothy, ridiculous grins. She reached for the door handle before he held his hand up, and bounced out of the car to open the door for her. Perhaps in another situation she would have found it sweet. Unfortunately, tonight was not one of those nights.

"It was nice," she managed to say to him with a perfunctory shrug and a half-smile. So far, so good. The less she talked, the less chance she had at blowing up in his face. He had walked her all the way to the front steps of Jane's house-slash-laboratory, where she could not wait but to barge into and let out angry-Darcy without any further duress.

"Very nice," Dale corrected, taking a step. Was he getting closer to her? Fuck. The door was right behind her, nowhere to run. The taser was in her purse, but that required arm movement to get it out. She gave him a blank stare.

"Nope, just nice. I'll see you around, Dale." She moved to the side, giving her a few grateful inches away from him, allowing her access to her purse as she fished out her keys. She heard Dale sigh a little resignedly, and Darcy felt bit bad. Dale was an idiot, but he was harmless. No need to awaken the taser tonight.

Or so she thought.

She was just about to put the keys inside the lock when she was spun around, hand on her arm and waist, and lips pressing sloppily and insistently against hers. Her eyes widened as Dale moved closer to her, trying to push her back against the adjacent wall. It took a few moments for her to realize what in the nine levels of hell was going on.

And when she did, angry-Darcy was finally released.

Her knee shot up and hit the jackpot, and she felt the bastard groan in pain against her mouth before she violently pushed him away. He staggered and tripped down the front steps, landing unceremoniously on his back with a howl of pain.

"Ag—Darcy!"

"If you EVER try to throw yourself on me like that again, you will lose all ability of procreation for the rest of your life!" Darcy yelled, anger coursing through her. She marched down the front steps and bent down to grip him by the collar, and tugged him viciously to meet her eyes. "To think I felt bad for thinking about using my taser on you—I should have tased your ass the tenth time those beady eyes of yours looked at my chest!"

"But—"

Darcy wasn't finished. "I gave it a shot when you spent the last three hours talking about yourself. Hell, I thought I was damned polite, and I even put up with your 'losing your wallet'—which, by the way…" She let go of his collar like it was diseased and marched to his car and threw open the door. Reaching inside, she grabbed his wallet and looked inside. "Would you look at that. Five hundred in cash. Cash. You're a real flooz, you know that? You could've come inside to help. But fuck, whatever. Bygones, bygones. This could be an angle at a feminist movement, which I totally am for—but for fuck's sake, I have shit for money and you flake out on me? Seriously?"

Darcy threw the wallet back inside with disgust and strode back to Dale, who was decidedly in a fetal position. Something like whimpering was coming out of his mouth. Darcy rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, it wasn't even that hard." She grabbed his arms and with a little struggling, got him to his feet and practically threw him in his car. Brushing herself off, she peered through the window. "Now. You will never call me again. You will never speak to me unless it is work related. We will forget tonight ever happened, and your eyes—" she slapped his head slightly so that he looked at her face, "—will always be up here. Got it?"

He nodded dumbly. Darcy sighed. "Go home. Put some ice on that. Try not to be such a douche the next time you take a girl out." He nodded again, and Darcy rolled her eyes. "You start by putting your keys in ignition."

Dale immediately started to fumble with his keys, and after three tries he managed to put the right key in. Darcy stepped away as he reversed out and turned around before his car zoomed quickly away. She wondered briefly if it was safe to drive hunched over like that, but at that point, she did not have it in her to care.

She threw the door open to Jane's house and slammed it closed, locking it absent-mindedly. "Jane!"

Throwing her keys on the coffee table, Darcy shrugged off her black cardigan and headed into the kitchen. "Jane, I need some serious girl-girl time, here! The date you set me up with was a total fail!"

Kicking off the ridiculously high heels, Darcy opened the door to the freezer while turning on the light. "I hope you stocked up on Ben and Jerry's. I'm foreseeing a four-quart ice cream-a-thon. Or should I just say gallon-a-thon? 'Cause, you know. Four quarts in a gallon and everything."

Her eyes caught sight of a tub of red velvet ice cream, and a grateful smile graced her lips.

"Seriously, Jane. You are a goddess." She heard light footsteps on the stairs, and sighed in relief. About time. She grabbed a spoon from a drawer and attempted to jab her way through the frozen treat, but frowned when it refused to budge. Gritting her teeth, she pushed the spoon in harder and yelped in surprise when it flicked upwards, sending a glob of pink ice cream onto her blouse.

"Damn! I got Ben and maybe a little bit of Jerry on my shirt. Very pink. Ah, hell, I can't say I didn't expect it after the absolute crapola date I just got back from." Setting the spoon down, she quickly unbuttoned her blouse and bunched it together in one hand. The spoon had a little bit of velvety goodness on it, so with a shrug Darcy grabbed it and stuck it in her mouth. Her eyes nearly rolled at the blast of awesome onto her taste buds.

Darcy heard the tile creak, and turned around to give Jane a proper come-here-and-hug-me-I'm-sad shindig, but promptly froze when she saw who was standing behind her.

"You're not Jane," she said dumbly, the spoon still in her mouth effectively warbling her words.

She glanced down at herself, realizing her blouse was in her hands and she was currently just in her bra and skirt. Not even a modest bra; she had went all out sexy with green and black lace, in hopes of getting some late night action. Bad move, Darcy.

Her eyes landed on the purse on the counter beside her, and wondered if she stood a chance. Then she glanced at the towering man before her, eyes seemingly just as wide as hers.

Screw it.

Her hand reached slowly into her purse and took out her taser. She was a little surprised that he had not moved yet. "Sorry dude. You're creeping me out." Her arm pointed at his chest and fired.

xx

When Loki arrived in New Mexico in search of the brown-haired beauty that his idiotic brother became smitten with in this realm, he made sure he was well-adjusted for the task at hand. He transformed his Asgardian attire to the common mortal male's clothing, and appeared in front of the astrophysicist's house at night where stealth was most efficient. In all honesty, this was just the warm-up of his grand plan. A teaser, a bit of fun, really. Harassing and scaring the mighty Thor's woman? Perfection.

Heimdall was watching above, he knew well. Loki only wished he could see the look of fury on that overbearingly blond and tanned face of Thor as Heimdall told him how Loki had scared the girl to tears.

Finally the girl arrived. It was late into the night, and Loki could not help but scoff at the Midgard customs. It was not tolerated for a lady to be seen outside without an escort, let alone remain in the late hours of the evening at Asgard, except the Lady Sif. A case of loose Midgardian morals, it seemed.

The thought struck him, and a devilish smile curled his lips. Perhaps that was not such a bad thing after all.

He was upstairs, roaming the hallway with boredom when the door slammed open. "Jane!" he heard a female voice call loudly, and a frown formed on Loki's face. Slowly he sauntered down the stairs. The girl kept shouting things that confused him. He was quite certain, however, that this was not Thor's woman.

"Seriously, Jane. You are a goddess."

Goddess? He did not know Midgard held gods and goddesses as well. Not in the years he had traveled here, nor in any teachings his parents had given him as a young boy. What did this woman know that even the great Allfather did not?

He could see the girl now in the kitchen. She had long, chocolate brown hair in loose curls that tumbled down her back. Her bare back. She was scrunching her shirt in her hand, saying something about some Benjamin and Jeremiah. Ah, the loose morals he was musing about before. This would take some getting used to.

And then she turned around, and Loki found himself staring at the oddest creature in the entire realm.

Everything about her was exaggerated. Eyes and lips too big for her face. Breasts too large for her frame, hips too wide for her body. Legs partially hidden by shortened skirt that brushed her knees. Everything about her was too much, and it was distracting.

"You're not Jane," she said faintly, a spoon dangling from her mouth, and Loki smiled inwardly. A slow mortal, no less.

She glanced down at herself, and Loki could not help but follow. Her chest bindings were positively sinful—green and black silk holding her up. Green. And. Black.

And then she was reaching into a bag and pointing something mildly threatening towards him. She muttered incoherently and he felt something sink into his clothing. Slight tingles were grazing over Loki's skin, but that was all they were. Frowning, he glanced down at himself and tugged the metal buzzing contraption out of his chest.

He looked up to find the girl staring at him with utmost surprise, her mouth open in shock. He rather liked this girl. She seemed to know her place, and fed his ego extremely well. This was something he could get used to.

Suddenly tormenting Jane was the least important agenda on his list.

"Who are you?" the girl asked cautiously, holding the bunched cloth in her hand over herself. "Are you S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Her eyes darted over him, assessing him thoroughly.

Loki felt a smile tug at his lips. "You look familiar."

The girl narrowed her eyes, her head tilting a little. "You are from S.H.I.E.L.D., aren't you?" Loki continued to smile pleasantly, and the girl gave a sigh of relief. "Goddamn, you guys need to work on your people skills! You're hella lucky I've got an eye for this now. I can tell just by your spiffy suits that you're with that Coulson dude." She paused to look at his chest. "Sorry about tasing you, by the way. You must have some kickass jacket underneath that tie. Kind of like Batman in Batman Begins."

He frowned at the foreign references, and watched the girl turn back around and lift a carton of food. "So you're here for Jane?"

"I presume she is not with you," Loki replied slowly, green eyes observing her every movement.

"I thought she would be. I needed some serious venting time tonight, but she's probably with Selvig somewhere unlocking the mysteries of the universe. Without me. Whatever though, I had a date and was excused. But still!" she whirled around, pointing a frosty spoon in his direction. "If it's this important, they should've given me a call!"

"They sound like fickle friends," Loki said quietly, taking a step closer.

"Nah, they're just really into their stuff. I get why I'm sort of the last thing on their minds. Political Science majors don't generally know things about Einstein…rosy bridges. Or something like that."

The girl had shrugged into the blouse again out of a semblance of modesty, and Loki was almost sad to see the green and black lace go. She held a cart of ice cream in one hand and a spoon in the other, and approached him purposefully.

"So, you got my ipod yet?" she looked up at him expectantly, and he took note of the generous height difference. Ego stroke number two.

"Your…"

"Ipod. You know, the one you guys confiscated from me a while ago? Still waiting for it to show up. Sooner better than later."

He stared at her. His eyes remained fixed on hers until she began to shift uneasily under his gaze. "Um…you're kind of freaking me out. I told you Jane wasn't here. I think you should go—"

"You talk incessantly for such a tiny mortal," said Loki, and the girl's eyes widened comically.

"…Mortal?"

Loki smiled. He had seen its effect before, but nothing like this. The spoon in her hand trembled slightly and he saw the girl's frame shudder slightly, goosebumps rising on the flesh of her arms. So beautifully, wonderfully fearful of him. Yes.

"Oh shit," she whispered, taking a step back.

She blinked and suddenly felt a firm body pressed against her back.

Loki bent down and whispered in her ear, "I think you meant 'Oh God'."

A blanket of darkness descended over her consciousness, raucous laughter filling the air.

xx


	2. Chapter 2

What felt worse than not knowing where she was had to be the initial state of complete and utter blankness. Of waking up and not understanding what existence was, of who she was. Time-disoriented and slightly dizzy, Darcy struggled to remember anything as she surfaced back to reality.

She was in a bed. She felt the softness of the sheets, the mattress dipping down where her body lay. It was warm, indicating that she must have been in it for some time now.

She was lying on her front, her forehead resting against her folded arms. Darcy squeezed her eyes shut more than they already were, for a cripplingly bright light was surrounding her. Rubbing her head gingerly, Darcy sat up and slowly opened her eyes.

A scream of shock left her throat, and Darcy scurried to the center of the bed, fingers twisting into the sheets.

"Oh my god, oh my god!"

"Yes?"

The voice startled her, and she whipped her head to the side. It took a Herculean effort not to scream again, especially with a smile that wide.

"What is this!" Darcy cried out, huddling as close to herself as she could. Her eyes moved past the mysterious stranger, the one she had met right before…this.

The bed was floating. Floating. And all around was nothing but cloudy swirls of pink and midnight blue, stars sparkling in the distance. It was like a scene in a horror science fiction movie. Down below the bed if she peaked over the edge, was a bottomless stretch of speckled darkness, constellations and meteors and nothingness. She was floating in the universe, and the man who did this to her was still smiling.

"Do you like it?" he asked. Darcy ripped her gaze away from the stars and focused on the man standing—levitating a few feet away from the bed. The smile on his face was extremely satisfied and thoroughly amused, but it was smaller than what it had been a few moments ago. He was dressed in armor, hair slicked back with ease, as if it were naturally held that way.

She could not formulate a response. Did he really expect one? Apparently he did, as he was still watching her patiently. Darcy shook her head, blinking wildly.

"Either Dale must've seriously drugged the wine, or I've gone insane," she muttered, glancing around warily. It didn't sound very plausible even as she said it. Dale was perverted and stingy with money, but judging how poorly he had reacted to Darcy's knee-groin skills, it was doubtful that Dale was clever enough to drug her on the sly.

Maybe it was the ice cream? Insane. But that was her best option.

"Am I on punk'd? I know I'm no celebrity so there's no reason for it, and I know a new episode hasn't aired in years, but I'm really, really hoping I am."

"You are getting stranger and stranger by the second, little mortal," he replied with a peculiar expression, a cross between humor and genuine pondering.

Darcy's eyes widened.

There. There.

Mortal.

Like a finished puzzle, everything clicked into place, and Darcy's mouth parted. Oh, right. That. The word that had caused her to panic before she succumbed to the unconsciousness. What made her realize that she was dealing with something eons and eons away from S.H.I.E.L.D.

Swallowing hard, Darcy steeled herself. It's okay. Play nice. Don't piss off the unknown god.

"What do you want?" she asked, gripping the sheets even tighter. He watched her, tilting his head slightly.

"What a good question," the man said quietly, and walked in the air of nothingness towards her. "I'm still wondering that as well."

"Yeah? Tell me when you figure it out then," Darcy retorted unthinkingly, and immediately regretted her words.

Fuck. Fuck! He blinked at her as Darcy mentally chastised herself. But he merely smirked in amusement, and moved closer.

"Tell me, Darcy Lewis. Why do you think you are here?"

Darcy swallowed the fist-sized lump in her throat, making a conscious effort to keep her eyes on the man's face. She could already feel that sweeping nausea she would get when she was standing on large heights. Hell, two steps on a ladder got her running for a porcelain bowl, let alone a swirling, depthless universe of constellations surrounding her floating bed.

She tried not to let it affect her that this guy knew her name, either. It would not matter if he was from S.H.I.E.L.D., but he clearly was not (immortal and everything), and Darcy had a feeling she had a finite amount of time to breathe before it would be snuffed out of her permanently.

So with the little resolve she had left, Darcy licked her dry lips and said, "Because you want me to be."

He looked at her for a second before throwing his head back and laughing. He looked at her again, his eyes dancing. "I like you," he gave her a wide smile, two rows of perfectly even teeth flashing. "But I'm afraid you misinterpreted my question. Why do you think you think you are here, on this realm, Miss Lewis? This…what is it you Midgardians call it…Earth."

Darcy blinked. Well that was a loaded question. This was more of a psychiatrist-therapy session type of conversation, or a lecture in a full Descartes-Locke-Rousseau philosophy course. Why was he doing this to her? Why did he care what she thought? He did not even know her, she was nothing to him. An inconsequential speck in the scope of the universe. An awesome speck, but a speck nonetheless.

Darcy replied at length, "To live."

"For what purpose?"

Darcy's brow furrowed. "What purpose?" she repeated. "Just…to live. It depends. People live for different things. For their family, for a bright future, for their religion. It's one step in front of the other. I'm not really one to peruse existentialism, but I live…because it's better than not living."

"And that is your reason for existence," said the green-eyed man, a hint of a sneer curling his lips. Leather and metal replaced the suit he had previously been, seemingly going all-out to scare the piss out of her. Props for him, because it was definitely working.

"Yes." Darcy watched anxiously as he took faux steps in midair, actually circling around her bed. "Who are you?"

He paused and turned his head to look at her with faint surprise. "My apologies. I have not introduced myself, have I?"

He disappeared, and Darcy blinked a few times. Okay. Déjà vu was trickling in her mind when he appeared in front of her, Cheshire grin in place.

"I am Loki of Asgard. You may call me God."

Darcy's mouth went dry, and suddenly she knew she was not dealing with some rogue assassin-y god, but the god. Loki, God of Mischief and Lies. The name rang a thousand warning bells in her mind, vivid images of a giant metal automaton shooting death rays of fire at Thor Odinson a few weeks back. She would have made a tongue-in-cheek remark had she not been so terrified, but he had not done anything to her yet. So it was still good. Incontinence still not a problem either.

Loki. Loki. Thor. Eureka.

"Sorry dude," Darcy found herself saying weakly, "But there's only one god us 'mortals' on Earth know about, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't do leather and metal."

She saw his jaw tick every so slightly, and a dark eyebrow arched. "One god? That's ridiculous."

"I'll give you a copy of the bible. You'll understand. Well, not everyone believes in that. I'll give you a wiccan book along with some torahs and gospels and qurans and even a Satan worshipping book. Tom Cruise is big on Scientology, so I'll throw that in too. I'm not sure where I can get all these things, but Amazon has one-day shipping and they're probably stocked up."

She swallowed hard as he continued to stare at her in an extremely disconcerting fashion. "And Buddha. Definitely some Buddha for you. The Kama Sutra. Fuck, no, forget that. Really, really forget that, I meant the Bhagavad Gita." She let out a loose breathe. "I took a mythology course," she ended weakly.

"It has done wonders for you," said Loki. He moved away from her and gave her a calculating look. "You are no longer amusing me. Perhaps I was wrong."

Good! Darcy watched him nervously as he studied her. With a small sigh he said, "Time to end this."

Wait, what? "No!" Darcy shrieked, heart thudding rampantly in her chest. She could feel the blood pounding viciously in her veins. He was going to kill her. Great, her and her stupid mouth. Fight or flight. Fight or flight. He was moving closer, and she cursed the universe she was suspended in for automatically eliminating the flight option.

A calm settled over Darcy. She was going to die anyway, wasn't she? No point acting like the flustered damsel anymore. It got her nowhere, and her ridiculous run-on verbal vomit she had displayed earlier did very little to save her hide.

"Flakey Norse god, aren't you?" Darcy said, meeting his eyes. "Oh yeah. I remember you, buddy. I know your mythology too."

"Do you now?"

"Mhm," said Darcy. She looked him up and down. "Though if I hadn't known prior, I'd never be able to see the resemblance between you and Thor."

The apathy that was reflecting in Loki's green eyes suddenly flashed violently. Bad choice of words, Darcy conceded a bit sadly, as he gritted his teeth.

"And what could you possibly know about me and Thor?" Loki hissed, eyes narrowing. "As I recall, your role in the events leading to when I sent the Destroyer to this realm was inconsequential. A supplement to a team who trembled at the sight of Asgardians." When Darcy's eyes widened, and a feral grin spread on his face. "Oh yes. I remember you, Darcy Lewis. You were not undetected from my watch, and neither were the astrophysicist and her elderly companion." He placed his palms on the bed and leaned forward, causing Darcy to jerk backward so as to not collide forehead-first with the god of mischief.

"I have watched your kind for an eternity, and you are less significant on this planet than an ant crawling in filth. You mortals squander away the limited lifespan you have been cursed with with futile relegations of facetious continental diplomacy. You may know your mythology, but I know your existence. And you are at the bottom of the proverbial gene pool, little mortal." He spat the last word with unveiled contempt.

Darcy watched the rage warp the aristocratic features of his face, twisting it to something wholly sinister. This was the time a higher being would begin cowering in fear. And Darcy's mind definitely was. She was not taught God-etiquette. Nothing, not even her encounter with Thor, could have prepared her for this.

"I don't mind being an ant," Darcy said slowly, "so long as I am a happy one."

Loki blinked, and then began to smile in that eerie way again. Darcy released a breath she had not realized she was holding when he moved away from her and straightened. "Now I remember why I liked you," he said interestedly, slowly circling the bed. Darcy didn't like the sound of that. It could not possibly be a good thing when the god of mischief and lies took an interest in you.

"Yeah?"

Loki nodded, as if sharing a secret. "You intrigued me with your diction, though slightly misplaced at best. And," he disappeared and a second later had his fingers fisted in her hair and pulling it enough to have her forced to look up at him. A smile began spreading as her read her reaction. "You know when to display your fear of me."

She reached back to force his hand off of her hair, but his grip remained firm. She glared up at him, and suddenly her hair was released as Loki rematerialized in his former position on the opposite side of the bed. "I just hope the rest of your kind is this accommodating."

He thought she was accommodating? "Look here," Darcy snapped, using a much stronger voice than she had all night and straightening her spine, "I don't know why you've decided to use me as your mind-fuck guinea pig, but unless you actually have plans to kill me, I suggest you get on with it. I have a midterm tomorrow."

He raised his eyebrows, and internal Darcy patted herself on the back. Yeah, she still had a backbone. Sort of. She just had to make sure she did not look over the bed.

"You will have plenty of time for that, I assure you."

"…So you're not going to kill me?"

He gave her a look. "Do you think I would go through all of this elaborate trouble," he gestured at the galaxies, "just to kill you later? I'm discreet, yes, but this is just the beginning."

"So you're not going to kill me," Darcy stated, a little sigh of relief leaving her.

Finally, something to work with.

A wave of tiredness hit her, and it had nothing to do with a lack of sleep. This mind game was exhausting. "Honestly, dude. I get you have some intentions that I don't fully grasp right now. But cut me some slack, please? Why did you bring me here and do…this?" she glanced around at the outer space, but immediately regretted it when nausea kicked her hard in the gut.

"I see that this encounter is trying on your feeble body," he stated. "I may have overestimated Midgardian women's limits." Darcy glanced up at him, and noticed the shift in his gaze. It was contemplative, calculating. The nausea in her stomach increased.

Darcy let out a startled noise when she was suddenly not the only occupant sitting on the bed. Though she was in the center of it, and the bed was not exactly king-sized, Loki had managed to seat himself nicely before her, spine ramrod straight without difficulty. The proximity was unnerving, but he did not give her a chance to muse on it further.

"When I fell to this realm it was not a happy coincidence but a conscious choice."

Darcy blinked in confusion. "What?"

Loki tilted his head. "I know of your educational records for the past seventeen years, and I know you have been working with an astrophysicist and her accomplice for four months; therefore, I am confident you have some capacity in that brain to follow along," he gave her a pointed look, and Darcy nodded slowly in confusion. The man had a point, and she tried not to wonder how he had access to her school records from kindergarten to college.

"I had a choice after I severed ties with my home on Asgard," Loki started. His eyes were fiercely green, his words sharp and serious and gave her a feeling she was about to be told lock-and-key information. Why that was, she had yet to find out. "Falling through a wormhole for what feels like an eternity gives rise to that kind of opportunity. I chose this realm. I had an idea, and that idea sparked into a possibility when I arrived at Jane Foster's house. Your appearance," for the first time during his tirade, the corner of his mouth lifted in a faux smile, "shed some fascinating light to my previous intentions, and ultimately a culmination of a glorious purpose."

Darcy frowned. The fact that this was the same man who almost destroyed a good chunk of New Mexico some weeks prior in efforts to kill his brother was slowly disappearing. How strange, to be sitting down in a conversation with a god. But Darcy's mind jumped that way, never pausing in the moment, and sure enough she was responding as if she were having a talk with Jane. "What could I have possibly done to change your perspective? You saw me in my bra eating ice cream." After pausing for a moment to think, Darcy added, "You fell for an eternity? From Asgard?"

She watched him smirk a little at her rampant inquiries. "Yes and no. It felt like an eternity, but time and space are vastly different between realms. I arrived here on your standards in a matter of thirty seconds. Off of Asgard."

Well, shit. She had to remind herself not to piss anyone off if she ever found herself on Asgard. "How? What made you leave?"

Loki's face hardened for a moment before adjusting back into the façade of monotony. "A monster belongs in a closet, not a palace."

"And earth was a good closet."

"Something like that."

Darcy lowered her eyes and shook her head. "I still don't understand where I come into this."

The pensiveness that had been lurking in his eyes morphed instantly into something holistically more mischievous. "You, my darling girl," said Loki endearingly, "are a catalyst to my wondrous purpose."

Darcy felt her heart stutter at the horrid images her mind decided was a good time to conjure. "And what does this catalysis imply for me?"

Loki looked thoughtful. "Initially I came here for Jane. I had intended to frighten her until she begged for death to piss my older brother off."

Ouch. Poor Jane. Good thing he found Darcy instead, then, no? "Understandable. Continue."

"You arrived instead. You presented yourself with…admirable zeal in face of a stranger in this home." He narrowed his eyes at her. "You are expendable, yet important enough to garner an audience from even Thor, what with your linkage to Jane Foster as well as prior acquaintance. And in that, you are quintessential in every aspect of my stay here in New Mexico. You are an anomaly of sorts, Miss Lewis, and I was curious to figure you out before I decided my next move."

Was it a good or bad thing when the god of mischief and lies took a liking to you? Darcy swallowed hard. "The lacy green bra probably had zero effect in your attention, I'm guessing," she said faintly. Damn the motor in her vocal cords that forced nonsensical words to spew out of her large mouth.

A grin flashed across his face. "Oh, yes. The green lace was most appreciated."

Darcy glanced down at his attire, finding the irony at all the green and gold incorporated in his own armor.

"If you think I'm going to just…cower and nod with your plans, you've mindfucked the wrong chick," said Darcy in the bravest voice she could manage. It was true. She didn't survive an alien invasion without getting some balls of steel. Darcy resolved that it was the nausea getting to her that made her so feeble in front of him. She was Darcy Lewis. She kneed her date in the groin and tased the god of mischief in one night. She would go down fighting.

"But you're so good at it," said Loki innocently.

"Debatable. But I'm going to have to turn down your offer as obedient catalyst."

"You speak as if you have a choice," said Loki, his fingers tightening into a fist that went unnoticed by Darcy.

"There's always a choice. Horrible, shitty, I'm-gonna-die choices, but a choice nonetheless."

"I did not realize how much you craved for death, young mortal," he replied, green eyes darkening.

"Not quite. I'm still convinced that I'm on drugs right now. I knew the fish fillet couldn't be that good and that cheap without ramifications."

"You believe this to be a manifestation of herbs and your imagination?" Darcy shrugged slightly, crossing her arms over herself uncomfortably.

"Look at this place. It's hard not to believe that."

Loki looked away from her to glance at their surroundings for the first time since he sat on the bed. His gaze turned thoughtful.

"I suppose I see the logic in your assumptions. Would you like them to disappear?"

"Yes. God, yes. I feel like I'm two minutes away from projectile vomiting looking at this place."

Loki grinned. "Well, since you said my name properly, I shall grant you that much."

In the blink of an eye the eternity of stars and meteorites disappeared into jet black darkness. Not dark in the sense that she could no longer see Loki or the bed, but in the sense that now it felt like she was suspended in limbo. There was nothing. She was in empty space, a box without the cardboard. Darcy's fluttering stomach protested magnanimously.

"Oh no," Darcy groaned. "You had to go and make it worse."

Loki shrugged. "You opposed beauty with simplicity. I merely gave you the basest form of such a thing."

"Let me go," Darcy said weakly. "Just let me go. I can't…This is too weird. I'm starting to question my mental stability here. I had a shit date. Jane's not here. I have no money for bus fare tomorrow so who knows how I'm getting to class. I have a midterm that I have scarce hours left to study for, on the condition that you ever let me go. You've kidnapped me to make me your subservient minion, and I can only wonder which god I've pissed off in your nine realms to land myself in this situation."

"I don't think it works that way," said Loki with a subtle trace of smile, but Darcy waved it away.

"Details. Just get me back home."

"You agree, then?" Loki's eyes grew very serious, but she knew there was much behind him that the eye could not see. He would use her whether she consented or not. But right now appeasement was her main priority.

"I'll—I'll think it over. Just stop this. Let me go back home—Jane's home. See another sunrise. Let me take my midterm. I understand you have Thor problems and mortal obedience problems, and I promise we'll climb that mountain when we reach it."

"You promise." His tone was flat.

"Scout's honor. That's legitimate, so don't think I'll go back on my word."

He shook his head, mischief lighting his eyes, "I don't know how much I can trust a mortal's word yet. I've seen enough bloodshed amongst your people to fill rivers and oceans."

"Yes, but I'm not that kind of mortal! I wear glasses and am piled under student loans and I eat instant ramen noodles for lunch. Wholly insignificant, as you so poignantly pointed out with the ant versus questionable filth analogy. My main concern is usually what to eat for dinner every night. The closest I've even come to that much blood was when the blood center came to my high school and the nurse did a flimsy job at taking the needle out of my vein."

Loki stared at her contemplatively. A slow, gleaming smile began to spread on his face. "I accept your honor of Scout. Now you must accept mine."

Wait, what? "Wait, what?" Darcy spoke her mind. The smile spread wider.

"You must understand why I do not wholly trust Midgardian customs, no less their fickle promises." He leaned forward, and Darcy did her best not to flinch away. "Surely you can agree that a mutual promise must be made to ensure absolute integrity."

"Yes…?"

"Then it is settled." Loki vanished, and Darcy blinked in rapid succession, then peered through the darkness surrounding her. The whirlpool in her stomach revived, and Darcy groaned. She truly hated when he did that.

She felt the air stir beside her, and suddenly a hand shot out to grab her by the arms. A yelp and a tug later, Darcy was standing—floating!—in the universe again.

"Oh god, no," Darcy breathed, and shifted her feet. They moved as if gliding in the wind. Darcy squeezed her eyes shut.

"This particular promise requires an audience before the nine realms," Loki explained as his hands held her steadfastly by the upper arms. "Unfortunately I cannot actually bring you to the heart of Yggdrasil here, but I am excellent at mimicry. I apologize for taking away your empty darkness so soon."

"No, no, it's fine," Darcy said faintly, eyes still firmly closed. Her head was beginning to feel heavier, and she was finding difficulty in remaining upright, but the warmth of Loki's hands was enough to keep her tethered to the conscious world. For now, at least.

"This is not to be taken lightly, Darcy Lewis," said Loki dangerously, and Darcy's eyes flew open. "You have given your promise to me in your Midgardian way. Now I require it in the Asgardian method."

What a play on words, Darcy thought to herself. But the sleep was pounding on her consciousness, the vertigo ramming her mind, and the contents of her dinner were threatening to make a grand appearance.

"Okay," she answered.

"Before the image if Yggdrasil and the nine realms, you agree to accept my call after I end this illusion," it was spoken as a statement rather than a question.

The gravity of what she was doing seemed to finally register. Darcy blinked up at him and saw his blank face. She wanted to say no and knee him in the groin like she did Dale, but she had a feeling it would end with a snapped Darcy vertebra. And yet, she had promised already. It was the only way he would let her go for now.

But that was perfect. She would wake up, find Jane, and get Coulsen. Then he would go all super S.H.I.E.L.D on Loki's well-shaped ass, and Darcy lived at the end of the day with all ten fingers and toes.

It would be alright.

"Yes," said Darcy. She felt warmth seeping into her from where Loki had his hands on her arms.

"You agree to accept every summons until I sever our contact." This one must be the jackpot, from the way Loki's gaze had changed a fraction. Unnoticeable, but Darcy liked to think she had hawk eyes of her own.

But it had to done. Taking a breath, fighting to remain conscious, Darcy replied, "Yes."

A magnificent grin spread on Loki's face. "You are bound to me, mortal. Perhaps in the next few days you will reevaluate the extent of your intelligence."

The warmth on her arms was beginning to be near unbearable, when she noticed Loki was getting closer to her. Instinctively Darcy jerked back.

"What are you doing?" Darcy demanded.

"I am sealing our contract." He gripped her arms tighter but she flinched again.

"Stop that!"

Loki appeared genuinely confused for the first time that night. Then, as if a light bulb had gone off, understanding dawned on his eyes, along with the gleaming smile.

"Have you ever been kissed by a god, Miss Lewis?" Loki asked quietly in her ear.

Darcy swallowed hard, shaking her head quickly as she fought to keep eye contact. She had to, unless he wanted her to vomit all over his nice leather boots. The universe surrounding them seemed to spin before her very eyes, and Darcy breathed through her nose to calm herself. It was then she noticed the alarming look of delight on Loki's face.

Devious laughter filled the air, and she felt a cool finger graze her cheek softly. "I shall remedy that."

Loki's hands tightened on her upper arms and he jerked her forward, sealing his lips onto hers. Her eyes went wide, and she saw him watching her with a look of pure satisfaction. It unnerved her, sending tingles all down her back, and she shut her eyes and struggled against him. He was unrelenting, and his mouth pressed insistently against hers. An unnatural warmth was fusing between their lips, a heat that felt like she was being branded.

Her head was growing dizzy, and soon enough she stopped fighting him. His kiss did not stop, but it grew softer, the scalding heat that had been burning her lips rescinding to just the cool feel of Loki's lips. He tilted his head a little to caress her lips gently, and Darcy unwittingly moved with him.

Darcy grew limp in his arms, and Loki dismissed the illusion he had cast upon the brunette. The bedroom of Jane Foster's home returned to its normal state, and Loki carried the sleeping girl back to the bed. He laid her down gently and stepped back to look at his handiwork.

"Perfection," he breathed. With a last smile, he disappeared.

xx

Someone was shining a flashlight in Darcy's eyes.

"Wha…" Darcy blinked several times, placing a hand in front of her face to shield herself from the light.

"It's about time you woke up," a light voice wafted in the room. Darcy tried to focus on the figure moving about the room near the windows. A second later, sunlight flooded into the room.

Not a flashlight, but close enough.

"Ugh," said Darcy, turning over to bury her face into the pillow. "My head hurts."

"I can imagine," said Jane as she paused next to the bed. "You've been dead to the world since I came home last night."

Darcy perked up. "Last night." She began to sit up, and immediately regretted. "I think I have…a hangover?" Darcy touched her head gingerly.

"Is that why you crashed here?" Jane inquired. Darcy looked at her hazily.

"I…no. I had a bad date. Dale was a fail. And somehow I think he managed to get me drunk."

Jane's eyes grew serious. "Did something happen?"

Darcy blinked in confusion before shaking her head quickly. "Oh, no! Nothing like that. I mean, yeah, he pulled a fast one on me but I hit him where it counted and he drove like a hunchback all the way home." Darcy ran a hand through her hair. "I'm not sure what happened after that."

Jane's eyes softened before turning cynical as she reached over to the night stand. "Does this look familiar?"

She handed over a cart, and Darcy saw pink and white liquid swimming inside. "Ben and Jerry! I can't believe I left it outside all night. That's very unlike me."

"I'd say. But considering the shoes on the floor and the clothes you're still in, you might have some good reason to."

Darcy smiled a little. "I've got horror stories to tell you, Jane."

"Tell me at breakfast. First you should get cleaned up."

Darcy nodded and looked over to the clock. Thank god. She had not overslept.

Jane left the room and Darcy headed to the bathroom. Shrugging out of her clothes, she turned on the shower and stood under it for a good five minutes. Bliss.

It felt like she had been hit by a deer in the eye, and that pain was radiating all over her skull. Darcy could not understand it. She had barely touched the wine Dale had bought for her, and yet she felt like she had chugged forty cases of beer.

Sighing, Darcy reached for the shampoo bottle when something caught her eye. Frowning, Darcy moved her hair aside from her shoulder and froze.

Hand marks. Sunken into her skin as if burned.

The bottle fell to the ground and Darcy scampered out the shower dripping wet. She moved in front of the mirror and wiped her hand across it to clear the fog. She stared at her arms in shock.

The green eyes. The constellations. The laughter. The oath. The kiss.

Not a dream, a promise. A promise, a promise, a promise.

"Jane!"

Darcy wrapped a towel around herself and threw open the door, bounding towards the staircase. "Jane!"

She found Jane sifting through lab work as she chewed on a bit of toast in the kitchen. Jane looked up, startled. "Darcy, what is it?"

Darcy opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Frowning, Darcy tried again, but her voice refused to cooperate. It was as if something was preventing her from speaking.

"Darcy, you're beginning to freak me out," said Jane slowly, putting the toast down. Darcy looked at her desperately, and then moved her hair away from her shoulders again.

"Do you see it?"

"…See what?"

Darcy's mouth parted. She looked down and saw the glaring handprint on her arm. "You don't see anything?"

"Just your shoulder….Darcy, what is going on?"

Darcy shook her head. Impossible. This was insane. Darcy looked at Jane to see if she was joking, but the only thing she saw on Jane's face was concern.

"Darcy?"

Darcy smiled a little, and shrugged. "Can't—can't you tell how soft my arms look? It's amazing. Did you get new soap?"

Jane blinked before shaking her head and sighing. "Honestly, Darcy. There are better ways of showing your appreciation." She let out a small laugh. "You had me worried there."

"Sorry bout that. You know how I hate being conventional."

Darcy turned around and slowly walked back up to the staircase. Closing the door to the bathroom, Darcy stared at her reflection, gazing at the handprints on her upper arms.

Branded.

Darcy let out a shuttering breath. Bound. Bound to him in every sense of the word.

Oh how she rather wished Dale had drugged the wine last night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnnd there you have it! Chapter 3 SHOULD be out within a few days once my beta is done looking over my work.
> 
> You might see a lot of me over the next few days, just warning you again. :)


	3. Chapter 3

 

_Dear Mr. Coulson,_

_How are you? I'm not sure if you remember me, but I was that girl in the glasses who was an intern for Jane Foster? You know Jane Foster, right? You stole all her research a few weeks ago and then thanked her for her cooperation? Oh, and Thor! She's with Thor, too. I'm Darcy Lewis and I thought you should know, speaking of Thor, that his brothekisholeihfrkn_

Darcy's fingers swerved on the paper, the pen writing taking a mind of its own. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she pushed harder to control her hand. L…O…K…

Darcy yelped when a sudden force caused her to throw the pen and tear up the letter. Again. Darcy glanced at her notebook, noting a considerable portion of its pages had been ripped out from the incessant trial and error. She glanced up and gave a sheepish smile to the students sitting around her, and then focused back on the lecturer resignedly.

Since the moment Darcy realized that Loki had visited her and branded her after making the bargain, she had been glancing over her shoulder every two seconds in paranoia. She fully expected him to just emerge from the shadows at any given moment, dragging her away to partake in whatever diabolical plans he had cooked up.

 _Stupid, stupid Darcy!_ Darcy lamented in frustration. She should have known better than to agree to some horrid deal just because she had been tired and wanted him gone!

Darcy liked to attribute her serious lack of judgment to whatever it is Loki had done to her when she'd passed out. He must have tampered with her ability to see reason. She remembered feeling as if in a daze throughout the entire encounter, and most of all she had been overwhelmingly nauseous. It was a vain stretch of hope, but it was the only thing that would pacify her mind.

Suddenly students all around her began to rise out of their seats, filtering out of the room with the sounds of casual chatter. Darcy sighed and gathered the small mess she had made and grabbed her bag.

The moment she had awoken this morning, she could not shake the feeling of being watched. It crept on her, like vines and spider webs tangling and twisting around her, but disappeared when she tried to locate it. It was as if a shadow was following her, a murmur in her mind that she could not dispel, and Darcy was constantly sprouting goose bumps.

More than once she glanced over her shoulder. She could  _feel_ the prickly paranoia creeping up on her as she took her midterm that day. Darcy could not glance around much, in case the proctor charged her with attempted cheating, so she just gripped her pencil tightly and tried to focus on the task at hand.

Yet, nothing happened. Her day ended without incident, and her bus ride home slow and silent. There were no email alerts from Jane so she didn't bother checking in with her and went straight to her apartment, eating leftover macaroni for dinner and passing out on her couch some odd hours later.

Two weeks passed by, and Darcy was beginning to hope that Loki had lost interest in her.

It was a wonderful, fearful thought. On the three days during the week that she had to work at Jane's lab, she attempted to talk about Loki in some discreet way, but it all ended in the same tight-lipped, wide-eyed silence on her end. Eventually she gave up, earning her a few puzzled looks from Erik and Jane, but life moved on and so did their research.

Two white ear buds in place, Darcy was drifting to the sounds of Chromatics. Her head was pressed against the cold pane of the window as the bus drove, jostling her gently against the bumps of the road. Little cars zoomed below, the sunlight waning against the clouds as another day winded down to an end. She had about an hour to eat and change at her apartment before heading to the lab. The thought made Darcy sigh.

_"Darcy."_

Darcy's eyes snapped open. She glanced around, sitting straighter. The bus was half empty, the occupants scattered around her. Most were middle-aged and asleep. Tense, Darcy shifted nervously in her seat and glanced down at her older generation iPod, lowering the volume a little.

" _Darcy_."

She jumped and threw off the ear buds. The sound had come from them, her name spoken like cloves and honey, a darkness hidden inside it. She swallowed hard, wrapping the ear buds around her iPod quickly and stuffing it in her messenger bag.

Her hands faltered as she felt a tug in her chest, a veritable thrum against her eardrums. It came upon her suddenly; one minute Darcy was riding southbound to Puente Antiguo and the next she was soaring through a myriad of glimmering white and black, bright shimmering colors burning her retinas. She squeezed her eyes closed, heart thudding, as the air was sucked out of her lungs and she fell to her knees.

It was not the dirty floor of a bus that she landed on. The sound of the engine disappeared, the bumps of the road no longer afflicting her. She was steady, the area silent, as her hands braced against a cool tiled floor.

Her eyes cracked open. She was gasping for air, her eyes focused on the tiles as her hair fell around her face and blocked her peripheral vision. She took a long, shuddering breath, and froze at the sound of a dry voice.

"And I was betting that you'd be able to stand through it."

She didn't really want to look up. Looking up meant accepting reality, and that was something she  _really_  did not want to do right now. Maybe if she waited long enough he would disappear and she would wake up on the bus again?

"I suggest you give up that hope while it's still fresh, Ms. Lewis. I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you."

Damn. Darcy straightened, seeing a tall figure standing a few feet from her, but she could not look up to meet his eyes just yet.

She heard a sigh. "Stand up, Darcy." She did not respond. She could hear the smirk in his next words, "Unless you are fond of kneeling before me. I am not opposed to that."

That did it. Squaring her shoulders, Darcy pushed against the floor and stood shakily. She stumbled a little, her brain and body still spinning from the transportation, and her stomach rolled uneasily. Feeling warm hands steady her, Darcy looked up to see Loki standing in front of her.

"Why am I always nauseous around you?" the question rolled out before she could stop it, and Loki smiled.

"You are human," he said simply. There were too many interpretations for that, and Darcy tried not to roll her eyes. Fear was giving way to her preferred defense mechanism of sarcasm.

"In that case, I'm about to be very human on your boots." To his credit Loki did not step back, but merely moved one hand from her shoulder to her waist. Darcy jumped and tried to move away.

"What are you doing?"

Loki gave her a warning glare as she tried to move away from him. When she tried to twist away again he gave her an annoyed look. "Be still, mortal."

His voice was low and commanding, and yet very calm. She stopped moving, the undercurrent to his words giving her pause.

Slowly she felt the nausea that had been plaguing her poor stomach fade away, and she sighed in relief. Loki finally removed his hands from her and stepped back, giving her a blank look as she looked at him in surprise.

"Did you do that?" Loki shrugged imperceptibly. Darcy glanced down at her abdomen. "…Thanks?"

Loki waved her thanks aside with a flair of his hand, as if it was a pesky insect. "I need you healthy right now. Believe me, it was for my benefit."

"Right," Darcy murmured. She finally glanced around at her surroundings, noting that they were in a small room, walls painted white and not a single piece of furniture in sight. "Where are we? And how'd I get here?"

Loki gave her a small smile. "You're a curious one. But daft. That's very disappointing to me. I had such high expectations of you."

Darcy bit back a hot retort and settled for the milder version. "How am I supposed to figure this out from just your presence and an empty room? How you magically poofed me from a bus going fifty-five miles per hour to you?"

"Ah! But there it is."

"What?" Darcy thought back to her words. "Magic?" Loki's answering smile confused her even more. "I don't have magic."

"The seal that binds us required a transfer. Your loyalty to my magic. Without it, the binding would never have been possible. As such, your body now contains some of my power from the seal."

His magic was inside her? She felt violated, but her curiosity increased tenfold. She had to force her hands to remain at her sides instead of brushing against her shoulders where the seal was. If his magic was inside her, did that mean she could harness it to her own will as well? Thoughts roiling, Darcy did not notice Loki watching her face intently.

"I should clarify," came Loki's lazy drawl, "that only  _I_  can use the seal to my liking."

How was it that he always knew what she was thinking? "I'm sure that's what you want me to think," Darcy replied easily as she folded her arms over her chest. "You're still the God of Lies, my friend."

Loki raised his eyebrows. "By all means, then," he stepped back and raised his hands in retreat, " _do_  try to use it. I warn you, it will not end well, and I am not sure how generous I will be of healing you again."

Darcy bit her lip and stared at the expectant look on Loki's face. Decisions, decisions. To take his bait and make him smirk, or to not take his bait and make him smirk?

She decided she would rather test her possible magic-wielding ability (her mind did a back flip just at the thought of Darcy having magic—seriously, what?) when she was a good fifty miles away from Loki.

Instead, Darcy marched up to him, her sneakers silent against the floor, and craned her neck to look up at him. He seemed amused at her bravado, and folded his own arms expectantly. "Why is it that I can't talk about you?"

Loki quirked is brow. "Pardon?"

"Oh, don't act like you don't know," Darcy squinted up at him. "I've tried more times than I can count to say something, _anything_ , pertaining to you. I can't even write your name on paper, let alone speak it."

"Can you speak it now?"

Darcy paused. "Loki?"

"I see no problem, then." The glint in his eye made Darcy frown.

"That wasn't part of the deal," Darcy crossed her own arms. "You wanted me to come when you called," that sounded better when said in her head, "and obviously I have. This, though? Uncool."

Loki unfolded his arms and took a small step forward. Amused that she tried to hold her ground, his voice was barely a whisper, "Do you remember how we sealed our deal?"

Darcy's eyes darkened as memories suddenly rushed in her mind. Hands gripping tightly, scalding lips against her mouth—

Her eyes went wide. Loki grinned.

"That…that's not…you didn't tell me there would be a subtext behind the touching."

"Are you not a scholar of political science? This should have been expected."

"It's been a rough month," Darcy said absently, though still slightly stunned. "This is just fundamentally wrong."

"I don't think that's true. You agreed to it, my dear girl." He lowered his head so that it was within inches from hers, and she felt his hands grazing softly on her upper arms where the hand prints were hidden under her jacket. She could feel the air thicken, his voice low and barely above a whisper, "Hands to bind you to me, indebted to come to my call," his left hand trailed up to cup her jaw, and she suppressed a cold shiver when his thumb moved gently across her mouth, "lips to bind your words against treachery." The corner of his mouth began to rise. "There is no backdoor to this deal, young one."

Darcy blinked rapidly, her legs feeling unsteady. "Why did you bring me here?"

Loki stepped back slightly, and Darcy released a breath when his hand dropped from her face. "A few reasons. The first being your ever-present need to see me again." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "I didn't expect that one."

Still fighting to regain clarity after the Loki-touching experience, Darcy spluttered, "My need to see  _you?_ " She gave a startled laugh, "You must have mistaken me for some other minion."

Loki frowned, "For two weeks you have thought of nothing else but me. When you dined, when you read, when you bathed; you broadcasted yourself quite loudly. I finally decided to have mercy and fulfilled your need."

Bathed? She tried to shrug that detail out of her mind, "My—I only thought of you because I was expecting you to swoop down and drag me off into an unforeseeable darkness and kill me!" Darcy said incredulously. "Not because I was counting my lucky stars waiting to see you again. And you need to stop reading my thoughts, buddy. They're considered private for a reason."

"The sentiment is the same, regardless," Loki replied with a shrug, and began to circle around her slowly. "I cannot help what I pick up from your mind during the day. We are linked, remember?"

"A convenient, one-way linkage."

"Precisely."

Darcy watched as Loki gave her that grin again, the one that made her spine shoot up straight and spread tingles throughout her nerves.

Darcy sighed and put her hands on her hips. "What do you want, Loki? Because at this point, I can't imagine a single reason why you chose someone like me for something like this. Even Jane regrets hiring me.  _Jane_. And she's supposed to be my friend."

"It seems you have a complex, Darcy. Shall we delve into it?"

"Only if you admit the mirror reflects on both sides."

"You should take care of what you say to me."

"I think you should let me go."

Loki grinned. "Am I making you uncomfortable, Darcy?"

Darcy snorted. "Uncomfortable? You should be the God of Understatements."

"I prefer Mischief, but do continue trying; I enjoy these kinds of games."

"Oh I bet you do," Darcy tilted her head. "Games are what you're best at," she looked at him studiously. "With me. With Thor."

Instantly Loki's expression turned dark. "Careful, mortal."

Darcy pursed her lips. "Why? Does that make you uncomfortable?"

"No, it makes me something far more dangerous."

"The usual then."

An odd smile twisted his lips. "Do you enjoy testing your limits, Darcy? Is this a proverbial prodding of the tiger with a stick before it tears you limb from limb?"

"I just want to know what you want from me, Loki. You've had me in hell these past few weeks, and I want to know why."

"Hell is an interesting word choice. That implies there's a light to the dark, and I have yet to find it."

"Maybe you're not looking hard enough," Darcy replied, and she knew the moment something shifted in the atmosphere once the words left her lips.

She watched a variation of anger, restraint, and curiosity flicker on Loki's face. After a moment it schooled back to one of tiredness. "Humor me, Darcy."

Loki held out his hand. Darcy's eyes flickered down to it, and then returned to his face. As per usual, she saw nothing. Well, then. Hesitantly, she placed her hand on his, praying the end result would not consist of her ultimate demise.

He held her lightly as he led her out of the empty room, and she was a little surprised at how gently he held her hand. Somewhere between the mindfucking and branding her like an animal, she had expected his manners to reflect his insanity. Evidently that was not the case.

They walked down a narrow corridor, the walls shifting from plain white to reinforced steel. They turned sharply on a corner and stopped in front of a pressurized door. With a lazy flick of his hand, it slid open.

What greeted her upon entering was a plain room with rows of desks and computers set up on each one, though mostly hidden by crisp white sheets draped over them; Pillars of stone protruded from the floor to the ceiling, creating a maze between the workspaces. The inner nerd in her was rejoicing at this lab, while the other was terrified. When Thor had arrived in New Mexico, he barely understood the mechanisms of her iPod, let alone an entire factory's worth of technology. Loki was on a whole different scale, evidently not shy to adapt and use what he needed to his liking. Darcy swallowed hard, discomfited by the amount of trouble she was burying herself in.

 _Why_  did she go to Jane's place after her date?

"Well," Darcy said shakily as she looked around, "you sure know how to decorate."

His answering smile made her curl her fingernails into her palms until she felt them bite. "Come, sit." They arrived at a table, a chair pulled out for her, and she felt a little irked at his commanding tone. He watched her as she remained rooted to the spot, and a spark of annoyance flashed in his eyes.

"Sit, Darcy, so that this may conclude in a timely fashion."

Darcy gave him a look before walking to the chair and sitting down as calmly as she could.

After several moments of silence, Darcy's itch to fill it overtook her. "So what's with the techs?"

Loki's eyes glanced around at the covered desks. "A prospective workplace that I've been building."

"For what?" The patronizing smile returned, and Darcy continued seamlessly, "Do you live here?"

"No."

More silence.

"Is that all?"

Loki's mouth twitched. "I have questions for you."

Questions? She could do questions. Questions were good—no, great, even. At this point she was game for anything that would break the awkward pauses. "About?"

Loki lowered himself in his own chair, opting to side beside her rather than across from her. Her eyes flickered down, seeing the wide stance his legs assumed. Wow. Wait no,  _no_. _Eyes up front, Darcy._ This was no time for graphic imagery. Quickly Darcy shot her eyes back to Loki's face, and felt relief when he paid no heed to her internal panicking. Her mortification would be unfathomable if he had decided to read her mind there…

A pleasant smile in place, Loki said, "Tell me about your work, Miss Lewis."

Darcy blinked. "My work?"

"I believe that was the word I used, yes." His expression grew condescending.

Darcy was not sure how to answer him. "I don't know, I mean…I go to school, go to my job, and go to the lab. There's not much involved in that."

"And what of your job?"

Darcy shrugged. "I got through college. Mostly menial filing and sorting in an office the size of a restroom."

"You lack money, I presume."

Darcy smiled sullenly. "You presume correctly. School has me in bits, man. I'm so-ho glad this semester is almost over."

"Does your research with the scientist not pay you?"

Dickhead Dale's voice flitted through her mind as he had asked a similar question not too long ago, and Darcy stamped down on the instant flare of annoyance. "I don't get paid; the research is paid for already by my school. It's for college credits and it looks good on my resume, you know. The works."

"Interesting…" Loki's brows furrowed thoughtfully, and Darcy couldn't help but feel apprehensive.

"Why are you asking me all this?" Loki's eyes drew up to her calmly. "You said you already knew about my educational background. Surely you know my financial one too."

Loki steepled his fingers and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs, and the pensive look that he had been sporting previously disappeared. "It is called conversation, little mortal. It is something that most species do across the nine realms."

 _Here we go again._  "My bad. I thought you were too primitive if you still brand innocent women."

"Still sour about that? Surely there was some pleasure in acquiring it, though. I remember quite vividly—"

"I know what you remember," Darcy interjected, not liking the smirk spreading on his face. "What I remember even better is waking up the next morning with Asgardian-sized handprints on my shoulders that apparently only  _I_  can see."

"Nice party trick, is it not?"

"You're insane!" Darcy exclaimed incredulously. "Completely and utterly insane. How do you live with yourself? How could you do this to someone?"

Her words were met with brief silence, giving Darcy pause.

"How could I…"

Loki began rising from his seat.  _Shit._ Darcy pressed her back against the chair, all of his prior amusement evaporating as he towered over her. He placed either hand on the top of her chair beside her shoulders. "Yes, indeed.  _How. Could. I?_ Remarkably, you will discover that I do many things that you or anyone else of this pathetic realm would not approve of."

Darcy licked her dry lips, her hands gripping the edge of her seat as he continued.

"I have fallen for an eternity in torment. I think I told you some variation of this once before? Tortured, beaten without reprieve." He leaned closer so that his lips brushed against the shell of her ear. "Do you know the Aesir cannot die?" Darcy bit her lip, and started slightly when he hissed, " _Well?_ "

"No! I mean yes. I—I've read stories," she said quickly, lowering her eyes from his intense stare. "I had an idea of it. I wasn't sure if it was true."

"Oh it is," Loki leaned even closer. "'Immortal god' is not just a formality. Can you imagine that, Darcy? Can you imagine being ripped apart without the promise of death?"

He waited for her to respond and she quickly shook her head. She could hear his grip on the chair tighten, his voice rising, "I have been lied to, mocked, cast out by the one being I loved most in this wretched universe. Bested by an idiotic man who calls me  _brother_ ," he snarled, "I will not stop until I have what I came for. How could I, you say? How could I  _not_."

His face was perilous, controlled rage barely breaching the surface. Fear was the automatic response from her, one that had her leaning as far away from Loki as her chair would allow, which was not much.

Darcy bit the inside of her cheek, her fingers gripping onto the edge of her seat like it was her last life line. Her mouth was pressed tightly and eyes stared fixatedly at her lap, not wanting to further provoke him should he find something wrong in her gaze. She tried in vain to stay calm and not notice just how far she was teetering on the brink of an abyss.

She could hear his breathing finally go even, taking a deep breath through his nostrils. He leaned back, releasing the sides of her chair, and Darcy let out a breath she had been holding unconsciously.

"I apologize," Loki said calmly as he straightened. "I did not mean to raise my voice at you."

She nodded faintly, eyes still trained on the threads of her jeans and hands clamping down on the seat. "It's all good," her voice cracked a little, but she trudged on as Loki was repeatedly dissatisfied when she remained silent, "you've got issues. Who doesn't, right?" Sirens were blaring in her head, forcing her to tread carefully. Loki was an unlit match waiting to ignite, and she wanted no part in its burning.

She was surprised when fingers gently grasped her hands, and she looked up in shock as Loki pried her fiercely clenching fingers from the seat. She relaxed her grip and he placed them carefully on her lap, stepping back.

"This is not how I planned today to go."

Darcy opened her mouth slightly to reply but thought against it. The last thing she wanted was to say something that would provoke another soul-rattling tirade from Loki. There was something different about him today. The last two times she'd seen him, he had a calmer, more controlled aura. He'd taken her words with amusement, but there was none of that today. This was a side of him that was new to her, the side that resided deeper inside him. The rage that had come out of him in a few short minutes had felt like a maelstrom.

He glanced at her, an unreadable emotion flashing in his eyes before they went carefully blank. "Unfortunately I do not believe much else can be achieved today," he announced. "That will be all. You may go," Loki dismissed, waving his hand at her.

"Really? That's it?" Darcy said in surprise.

He quirked a brow. "Do you wish to stay?"

She shook her head emphatically, sweet relief flooding inside her. She needed to get as far away from him as possible, and it was convenient that he shared her sentiments.

She rose from her seat and took a few steps, then promptly stopped in her tracks. Loki glanced up at her a few moments later when he realized she did not leave. He gave a questioning look.

"You brought me here," she answered. "I don't even know where I am."

Ah, that. "Yes," Loki rose from his seat and stood before her, "that is problematic."

He motioned for her to come closer and she shuffled towards him. He reached out to her and she flinched almost on instinct, something that made Loki's eyes widen in surprise, then narrow.

"I will not hurt you."

She had trouble believing that. "That's not it." At his questioning look she sighed and spoke a little hesitantly, "I don't suppose you can get me back home so that…I don't know…I don't get the urge to bring up the turkey sandwich I ate for lunch?"

"Teleportation is like any fast-moving travel. It is akin to your Midgardian roller coasters, I believe. Frighteningly fast, but ride them enough and you will grow accustomed."

"About that," he noted how quickly her expression became green, "I don't do well with roller coasters. Or heights, or anything that makes my stomach drop."

"It will pass with time."

He would not budge on the subject, and Darcy gave up. He reached for her again, placing his hands just below her shoulders, and gripped tightly. Her breath hitched lightly and she clenched her jaw, firmly looking away from him. Again, not the time for those thoughts, Darcy. She could feel Loki's eyes boring into her face.

"We have not finished here," his voice was smooth, yet she could hear the warning behind it. "I advise you prepare yourself to relieve the fragility of your innards in the coming days."

She opened her mouth to respond but gasped when a jolt went through her body and she went hurdling through the shimmering beyond again, flailing rapidly through the expanse of color.

**.:.**

Loki watched her disappear, leaving behind a cold silence. Within seconds the almost pleasant look on his face dropped instantly.

The bond worked. He hadn't expected it to work quite so well, but it had worked….Pleasing, very pleasing. It was a particular bit of magic that he had studied in passing while still learning sorcery, but thank the Allfath—thank goodness it worked. And to such an advantage, no less.

Summoning and vanquishing her was a little more difficult than it would be for himself. He could travel instantly from place to place, but to have a third party was not as easy on his magic. He himself was practiced, yes, but the girl was not. And her resistance to his magic was not unaccounted for. He could still feel the stiffness in his muscles, as if his power was flowing slowly through his veins instead of wrapping around him completely. He would have to teach her to accept the pulls and tugs of his summons.

It was well worth it, however, given all that he now gained.

If he were to be frank, however, Loki rarely ever needed to do such a thing when on Asgard. They never served a purpose for him in his plans, thus they were never included in them. Sif, yes; he had cleverly dropped ideas inside her mind, more prominently in his adolescence, and she had bent to his will unwaveringly. Up until, of course, the more recent years, when his trickery became more recognized, when his subtlety of words was suddenly taken with a grain of salt and a margin of distrust.

But this anomaly could not possibly apply to all of Midgard's fairer sex. He had traveled here countless times in his lifespan, and he never had this much of a headache after a conversation with a woman.

Men were easier to break. Their ambitions were clouded in mania, their hearts wrapped in ice and vine; Loki simply had to press the right points to elicit the preferred response from mortal men. Humans were fickle by nature, and men from the beginning of time had thrust themselves upon a pedestal of stone in a sea of blood. All it took was one honeyed word of promise and providence, and their will was Loki's to command.

But no, it had to be Lewis. It would be a slower game with her, but the end result—should he succeed (which he was certain he would)—would be a thousand times more gratifying than a game of sitting duck with Jane Foster.

The connection to her mind was a wishful hope that the divine forces of Yggdrasil had miraculously granted to him. From his readings he knew it was uncommon with this particular seal, but not completely impossible.

It was better this way. Jane Foster was a critical mind, unyielding and rampant. Her intentions were set, her career and age parallel to granite. The doctor— Selvig, he recalled— had seen too much in his life to yield so compliantly to him, nor would he have agreed to this summons seal as easily as Darcy had. He was one of the people Loki would employ a different weapon of influence…

Yes, Darcy was perfect.  _Absolutely perfect_.

But still. If he could…

It was worth a try, he supposed.

Leather boots squelched against the cold floor of his laboratory, green eyes monitoring the beginnings of his plan. White sheets were draped over the expanse of computer technology, wrought from the very companies he would, in due time, bring to their knees. Long fingers drummed lightly against the table he was passing, his skin tingling at the chill of the metal.

_Soon they will know of your power, and they will repent._

Loki ticked his head to the side, clenching his jaw as the murmurs in his mind haunted him. He quashed them down, forcing them to retreat in the recesses of his consciousness. Haste was not of the essence; patience was. He would not have a repeat performance of the New Mexico failure against Thor.

A second metal door came to view as he continued his lazy stroll in the lab, and he waved his hand. The door depressurized, sliding open. He stepped inside, carefully closing the door behind him.

The room was vacant, as were most of the rooms in this hovel, save for one chair. Positioned in the center with pale light coming from the ceiling, it was aged and wooden, carved with what once could have been conceived as intricacy. It was faded and worn, but Loki did not let appearances deceive his eyes. He could feel the energy emanating from the woodwork, the whispers increasing in his mind.

He approached it slowly, stopping when he was a few inches from the seat. With a flourish of his coat, he sat down easily, spine straight, ever the aristocrat he once was. He gripped the armrests tightly and closed his eyes, allowing his mind to be consumed.

" _Come back so soon?_ "

Loki slowly reopened his eyes, a chill already settling in his bones. "I find it wasteful to put off the inevitable."

Raspy chuckling filled the air, and Loki looked at the figure before him impassively. " _Such words, coming from the fallen prince._ "

"As much as I am a fan of nostalgia," Loki said in a controlled voice, "I believe we have an agreement to settle."

A rough hand seized Loki's jaw, forcing him to look up into depthless eyes. " _We know why you've come here, Asgardian. Do not test our patience._ "

" _That_  is of your own doing," Loki replied calmly. "The longer your dance around your mistrust, the longer you will wait for your beloved artifact."

"Artifact _?_ " the creature sneered mockingly, chuckling in amusement. _"We do not betray promises, Asgardian. But you must locate it first._ "

Loki's smile faltered, eyes narrowing to slits. His mouth twisted cruelly, "And how am I to do that without any aid?"

" _You think we do not see what you see?_ " the faceless creature leered, circling around Loki. He whirled his hand, and a golden scepter with a glowing blue tip produced in his grip. Loki's eyes darkened as it neared him, thrumming and pulsing with life. His blood was on fire, soaking in the steady hum of power. Loki's hand moved forward unconsciously, but the scepter was flicked away from him when his hand was a hairsbreadth away. Loki snarled, glaring at the creature. " _Not must use the magic you've recently instilled._ "

Damn! Damn it all to hell! He thought he was covering his tracks smoothly, but it had not been good enough.

"Fine," Loki hissed unwillingly. "I was merely hoping to make things a little easier."

" _You hope was in vain._ " The creature approached him again, his face coming within inches of Loki's. " _Get it done, Asgardian._ " In the corner of his eye he saw a hand reel back, and Loki dispelled the magic before it could come in contact with his body.

He was breathing rapidly when he opened his eyes, hands gripping onto the wooden chair hard enough to splinter. A sheen of cold sweat had broken over his brow, and Loki rose unsteadily from the chair. Angrily waving at the door, it slid open and Loki marched out into the laboratory once more.

There really was no avoiding it, he thought in irritation. The scepter would have overcome several obstacles instantaneously, but it  _had_ been a vain hope in attempting to acquire it sooner.

No matter.

Body still shaken from the meeting, Loki breathed deeply through his nose to steady himself. There was no point in delay.

Loki closed his eyes, clearing his mind and stretching his power, grasping at the tendrils of consciousness miles and miles away.

It was faint at first, but with a sharp  _tug_ he felt Darcy's thoughts roiling alongside his own. They were sharp bursts of light, like a cityscape at night, thriving with life.

Loki smiled. Time to work.

**.:.**

Darcy's body crashed unceremoniously on a hardwood floor. The transportation from Loki's lair of doom was just as vicious as the first time. Groaning, she rolled over onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. It was still day, judging from the streaks of light shining on her face.

What exactly had just happened?

She lay there on the floor for some minutes, reflecting on the entirety of the interlude between Loki and herself, and came up with nothing. It seemed almost—pointless.

_What had he brought me for? Amusement?_

She highly doubted it. Loki was many things, but he was mostly someone who did things that both amused and rewarded him. There was something that he was trying to do, and Darcy had only managed to get just a small taste of it today.

The question of  _what_  still remained.

"Should I ask?"

Darcy craned her neck in the direction of the voice, and saw Erik standing above her with a grimace.

"Just roll with it, Doc." Shaking his head, he held out his hand and Darcy took it quickly, groaning as she rose to her feet.

"You alright there, kid?"

Darcy frowned at the touch of worry in his voice. "Peachy as cream. Mishaps like these happen all the time, believe me," she glanced around, noting she was in Jane's study. Huh. Loki brought her to Jane's lab. That could almost be considered kind. Then her back ached again, and kind thoughts disappeared. "Am I horribly late today?"

"You're actually three minutes early," Erik said, sounding about as surprised as Darcy's face reflected. Early? Impossible. Darcy leaned over to check the clock mounted on the opposite wall of the study.

"Would you look at that," Darcy raised her brows. She picked up her bag from the floor and marched out of the study, heading to where she knew Jane would be working. "So what's on the agenda today?"

"Mostly fixing some kinks in the metrics," Erik supplied as they entered the lab area. Darcy immediately spotted Jane hunched over a massive book with crumpled sheets littering the floor around her table.

Darcy grimaced. "Metrics  _again?_ Can't we do more scoping outside?"

"You know the answer to that, Darcy," Jane interjected from her seat, eyes still glued to her work.

"Sadly I do. It doesn't mean I can't try to persuade you otherwise."

Jane glanced up and gave her an exasperated look. "We're very close, Darcy. This should excite you a  _little_."

"And yet we still have metric kinks to dispel! My enthusiasm is out of control. Hold me back, Erik."

Eric chuckled as Darcy pulled a rolling chair next to Jane and grabbed the stack of papers that wasn't viciously crumpled.

"These are the same equations as last week," Darcy noted, sending Jane a questioning look. "Unedited. Did you even  _look_  at the notes I made for these?"

"Of course," Jane replied quickly, scribbling down something on a spare bit of paper sticking from the book. "And now I'm starting over."

Darcy clicked her tongue, looking back at the papers in front of her. Keep this up Jane, and…" Darcy faltered, her vision crossing for a moment. She shook her head, rubbing her eyes to clear her vision. Blinking a few times, she glanced around in confusion.  _What the…_

"And?" Jane looked up when Darcy did not reply. "You alright there, Darcy?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Darcy scratched her head sheepishly. "My head went fuzzy for a moment."

"Are you going to end up in the hospital right before I go?" Erik crossed his arms, giving Darcy a stern look.

"What? Where are you going?"

"Didn't I tell you?" Darcy shook her head slowly. "Got a call from an old colleague up in New York. I'm leaving next week."

Darcy met the news with some surprise, but something was tugging at her mind, a curiosity that overwhelmed her. "What friend?" she found herself asking.

Erik began to look a little nervous as he scratched his head. "Actually, it's—well, remember that story I told you about the man who was a pioneer in gamma radiation?"

No, no—yes, suddenly the idle words spoken on Jane's rooftop resurfaced. "Yeah." Darcy's eyes widened. " _No._  Please tell me you're not going to those people who took him away." Panic began to unsettle Darcy. "Erik, you're kidding, right?" Darcy turned to Jane. "Why are you not freaking out about this?"

Jane looked at her tiredly. "I've spent all night freaking about this. I know a lost battle when I see one."

"No!" Darcy scowled. "Unacceptable. Lost battle? Says the woman reconstructing a bridge to another world?"

Jane's eyes narrowed. "Don't try to guilt me, Darcy. This is Erik's decision."

"Friends stop friends from making bad decisions. Not getting behind the wheel while drunk. Not going to another state to die."

Erik sighed, "Stop the melodrama, Darcy; I'm not going to  _die._ " Shaking his head, he continued, "Besides, it's an old friend of mine that hired me once. It's half a business trip, as well. Says he's found something that'll jump science research a thousand years."

Darcy sighed, idly rubbing the small headache away. "Whatever you say, doc. Just don't send your last phone call before death to me, 'cause that's going to scar me for life."

xx

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three, success!
> 
> I had a lot of trouble with this one. I think I rewrote it twice and scrapped it completely once. Hopefully the end product was satisfying.
> 
> This chapter is mostly for laying down the groundwork of what is to come. Now that you know what to expect, things are about to get very, very real.
> 
> Thank you for your unfathomable encouragement and kindness. It means the world to me.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've finally gotten an AO3 account! I will be posting all of my works here over the next few days. You might have read them already if you've seen me lurking around Tumblr or on ffnet.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter~


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